Disclaimer: I do not own Ultima. Richard Garriott, aka Lord British, and Origin own it. I'm just enjoying playing with my favorite characters in each Ultima story I write, including this one.

There is nothing that I love more than peace.

Yes, that is right. I, Katrina, shepherdess of New Magincia, was a valiant fighter when serving with the Avatar, Britannia's spiritual champion, and steadfast against most enemies, but I am not a strong warrior, nor a skilled magician. Some less open-minded people might think that I am a burden to the Avatar.

But, to be honest, as a shepherd of New Magincia, I have no use for fame or popularity as either of those two professions. Shepherds live by Humility. Old Magincia was consumed by daemons for its Pride, because the inhabitants were too dignified to do anything that might make them seem like smaller people than they perceived themselves to be. Without Humility, the Eight Virtues of Avatarhood would have no foundation, and no one can be honest, compassionate, valorous, just, sacrificial, honorable, or spiritual without first being humble. Humility is also a perfect defense against humiliation, which is caused by the Pride of others. With Humility, thou dost already see thyself as lowly as any other, and are unaffected by a humbling experience. But with Pride, a humbling experience is unwanted, and when thou dost receive it anyway, it leaves thee feeling self-pity and arrogance for thy own dignity. Humility brings peace, while Pride brings strife.

I had once told all these things to Beh Lem, a young gargoyle that has moved with the other gargoyles to Britannia after the Avatar saved the gargoyles and brought peace between them and the humans. He had some interesting things to say to me, as well.

"Order is the independent foundation of the Gargish Virtues, Katrina," he said to me when he visited New Magincia. "It stands outside of the Principles, Control, Passion, and Diligence, which the other seven Virtues are based on, but it is what is needed for a strong society where Order within that society is needed to survive in a harsh world."

"So, Order makes it possible to follow the Virtues of Direction, Feeling, Persistence, Balance, Achievement, Precision, and Singularity, then?" I asked him.

"Indeed," he said, "Order is the opposite of Chaos, and Chaos turns a society into a community of madmen and warmongers. Order is what is needed for peace among my people."

"That's very interesting," said I, "I suppose that, in that respect, Humility and Order have something in common. Humility is a spiritual peace provider to the Britannians, also."

"To have discovered another world where eight virtues exist, and are balanced among three principles so neatly," said Beh Lem. "Perhaps we gargoyles and thou humans have more in common than we once thought!"

"I would not rule out that possibility," I said. "Beh Lem, I have a bargain for thee. How about thou dost spend some time with me here in New Magincia, to see what it is like to be a humble shepherd, and then thou canst show me how to bring order to a community living in a harsh world such as this one, or the one thou didst originally come from. We could both learn from each other, then."

"To learn about Humility is not the normal path of a gargoyle," he replied, "But I will learn about the tasks of a shepherd, Katrina, if I have thy promise to experience the nature of an orderly society of gargoyles."

"Thou dost have my promise," I said.